The power station

Going along the Vilnius - Kaunas motorway, your attention is sure to be attracted by and you will certanly be surprised and intrigued by massive buildings and three very conspicuous chimneys, situated just a short distance from the road. You are looking at one of the most powerful of the thermo-electric power station in Central and Eastern Europe - The Lithuanian Power Station.

As early as February the 16th 1959, the Council of Ministers of the Soviet Socialist Republic of Lithuania appointed a special state commission to find a site for a new power station with the capacity of 1 200 000 kW. Based on economic calculations the sight is chosen halfway between Vilnius and Kaunas. At the time this was the village of Perkūnkiemis on the Anykštos Lake in Vievis district.

On the 18th of April 1960 the Council of Ministers made the decision to built the Lithuanian Central Steam power Station. The scope was large and the pace of progress was rapid. As soon as the month of May the first construction workers arrived. The first cubic metre of earth for the future foundations of the power station was dug in July. The first residential house was built in december.

Twenty eight months after the first cubic metre of earth was dug, on the 30th of December 1962, the first power unit, with the capacitty of 150 000 kW, was launched. It was more powerful than the Kaunas Hydroelectric Power Plant.